THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 1, 1995 TAG: 9509010479
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JENNIFER CHRISTMAN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: HATTERAS LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
As sunshine and a light breeze danced on a cobalt blue Atlantic Thursday, it looked like nature finally was going to be kind to the crew working to salvage the propeller from the famed Civil War ironclad Monitor.
Even the crew thought so.
``I think today's the day,'' said John Paul Johnston, commander of Edenton - the Navy salvage vessel from which divers are lowered to the water to the site of the shipwreck.
But it was not.
After only one dive to 230 feet beneath the ocean where the Monitor rests, the crew called it quits because of strong currents that created dangerous conditions for the divers.
Although the ocean swells seemed tame from the surface, the mighty current about 40 feet below was another story. A second two-man team of divers learned this as they attempted the second dive of the day. After struggling for about five minutes, they decided the water was too rough and were pulled to the safety of the Edenton.
``Is it frustrating? Yes,'' Johnston said. ``I can control a lot of things, but the current is not one of them.''
But the crew did make some headway attempting to rescue the Civil War ship's propeller. Divers cut about one-half to three-quarters of an inch of the metal shaft attached to the propeller.
The wrought iron shaft is nine inches in diameter and would be easy for the divers to cut through if not for the debris that has settled on it. As the divers cut at the shaft, the debris loosens and blocks visibility.
And visibility is already limited.
``The water's clear, but basically it was like being in a cloud - you can't see much down there,'' said David Deale, a chief petty officer who completed the day's only dive. ``I probably couldn't see the length of my arms.
``It's like having a dark pair of sunglasses on.''
The problems underwater are difficult to tackle because divers can stand only about 25 minutes in the deep sea environment because of pressure at that depth. After a dive they go into a decompression chamber where they gradually get used to the surface pressure.
But the setbacks - they have been anchored over the site since Aug. 23 - will not stop the crew, Johnston said, despite calls for continued rough current.
``I have until Sept. 10 to get this thing done,'' Johnston said. ``And we're not giving up.''
The Monitor's propeller weighed 3,600 pounds, although deterioration may have changed the characteristics. The recovered propeller will become part of the Mariners' Museum in Newport News.
The dives are part of an effort between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Navy to stabilize the deteriorating remains of the ironclad ship.
The Monitor was the first of the ironclad warships that altered 19th century naval technology Most schoolchildren know it for its celebrated but indecisive Civil War battle with the Virginia, formerly the Merrimack, on March 9, 1862, in Hampton Roads. The Monitor sank 17 miles off Cape Hatteras on Dec. 31, 1862, as it was being towed to Beaufort for repairs. ILLUSTRATION: Photos
VICKI CRONIS/Staff
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ABOVE: The Edenton remains steady 17 miles off the coast of Cape
Hatteras over the wreck of the Civil War ironclad Monitor.
RIGHT: Chris Kellar on the Edenton prepares to dive 230 feet to
recover the propeller of the Monitor.
BELOW: The crew lowers two divers for second dive of the day, which
ended minutes later, because of strong currents.
by CNB